


Mascot Flower(s)

by usernameapathy



Category: Tales of Berseria
Genre: F/F, Pre-Relationship, Tales of Femslash 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-22
Updated: 2020-07-22
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:40:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25441813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/usernameapathy/pseuds/usernameapathy
Summary: Two different looks, at two different times, at two possible definitions of the petunia in the language of flowers when it comes to Eleanor and Velvet.Written for Tales of Femslash Week 2020, Day 3 prompt "Petunia/Resentment."
Relationships: Velvet Crowe/Eleanor Hume
Comments: 7
Kudos: 18
Collections: Tales of Femslash Week 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I used [this site](https://www.flowermeaning.com) as a reference for the flower meanings.

Eleanor Hume experimentally lifted the water bottle to her mouth, opened it, and then hesitated. She stole a glance at the daemons quizzing the woman across the Port Reneed street - _in just the manner any normal person would!_ \- to make sure they weren't paying atten-

_Wait, what? Why do I care? Just go ahead and try it._

She took the sip and grimaced. The taste of sale'tomah still **very much** lingered on her tongue.

"It's really that bad, huh?" Laphicet asked. The malak boy was seated next to her on the bench, wearing a sympathetic expression. As had been more and more the case over the last few days, that expression gave Eleanor an internal twinge of feelings she didn't really want to face - at least not right then - so she made certain to divert them with a quick response:

"It's really that bad. I still can't get the taste out of my mouth. I don't understand how something could smell so nice and taste so horrid at the same time..."

Laphicet laughed. "It does smell pretty nice, doesn't it? So tart and sweet at the same time..."

"Sounds like someone we know, hmm?" Magilou interjected from where she leaned against a nearby building, arms folded. The self-proclaimed witch wore a smirk on her face. "Is that why you're keeping an extra around, then? Gonna give it to Velvet?"

"Huh?" Eleanor took a moment to sniff the air, and confirmed it: the distinctive raspberry-like odor of sale'tomah flowers was still strongly present, well over a half-hour since they'd all had their doses. She turned to look at Laphicet, whose face reddened as he pulled one of the orange-and-purple flowers out of his bag. This particular plant was large and possessed of multiple blossoms.

"I was just thinking... It couldn't hurt to have one along as a symbol, right? I mean, like you guys were saying before, if it means 'selfish coexistence' in the language of flowers, then it's kind of the perfect flower for us... right?"

The witch beamed. "Hahahahaha! A mascot flower, huh? Looks like you've caught a case of villainous team spirit, kiddo!"

Eleanor frowned and looked down. That exchange right there summed up just why she couldn't let her guard down around this group. Because on the one hand, they _were_ horribly selfish. Even if she somehow set aside, for the sake of argument, that Velvet Crowe was a daemon, their party's unofficial leader was still a foul-tempered criminal with absolutely no hesitation towards manipulating everything and everyone around her without the slightest regard for reason or morality. The shamelessly egotistical pirate, maniacally bloodthirsty swordsman, and - well - and Magilou were equally reprehensible, and part of her still insisted on holding herself to account for the fact that, direct orders from the Shepherd or not, she was actively abetting their behavior.

But on the other hand, when she'd brought up the fact, back when they were all talking about this in Warg Forest, that it wasn't all disagreements between them, she hadn't _just_ been trying to smooth things over. She couldn't believe what Velvet kept saying about Lord Artorius having murdered her brother. She _couldn't._ But it wasn't possible anymore to deny that whatever inner daemons drove Velvet were very real, and very - she couldn't think of a better word than "human". Not just the mindless malice of a normal victim of the daemonblight. Because there was clearly more to her than that, as there was with Eizen and his crew's "creed", and Rokurou having repeatedly demonstrated greater empathy than just the ability to read his enemies in a fight, and-

She sighed heavily. And she couldn't keep thinking like this, because she remembered what she'd heard back on the dock. This was her chance to finally put an end to this whole ordeal. The group's destination was Lothringen Tower, and Lord Melchior was there personally, and that meant she had a chance to fulfill her mission and turn Laphicet over to the Abbey. And the more time she spent around him, the more she knew just how important that was - not just for his power, but also because it was clear that malak or not, he was very much an innocent little boy, full of natural desires to help and care for others, and he needed to be somewhere safer and better than in the company of these wretched daemons and their allies.

Except even there-

_"Though malakhim vary greatly in appearance, from the utterly alien to the completely humanlike, do not become confused by their looks." The praetor-instructor's voice had taken on a sterner tone as his lecture ended, one which drew the attention of even the more careless initiates. (Not that Eleanor would ever count herself among that group.) "They are naught but tools of the divine, brought to us by the will and grace of the Empyrean Innominat to free this world from darkness. Remember always to use them solely for their purpose, as should be the case with all things, in accordance with the principles of Logic and Reason."_

_But..._ She knew now. _But they really aren't just tools, unless you also consider **people** tools. Laphicet's alive, and he's just like any little boy, and... If the Abbey is mistaken about something so important, is it really the best place for...?_

_And if they're wrong about **that** , could they also be wrong about-_

She shook her head to drive the nagging doubts away, then froze as it brought her eye level into a rather unfortunate place. Specifically, Velvet's rather impressive physique, which was even more exposed than usual since the daemon had swept back her coat somewhat in light of the muggy turn the weather had taken.

Velvet drummed the fingers of her human hand against her side impatiently. "All right, we got confirmation from that woman that Zaveid's going to Lothringen - and apparently that he was expecting Eizen and the rest of us to follow him."

Eleanor hastily glanced away and nodded. "Just like you thought, then."

"Right. As soon as Rokurou finishes having his swords sharpened," (she glanced back to see Velvet roll her eyes) "we're going after them." The daemon paused as her nose wrinkled slightly, then turned to look at the flower Laphicet was still holding. "Hey, what's that? We had a sale'tomah left over?"

"The boy was thinking of making it our mascot flower," Magilou cut in before Laphicet could speak. "Seeing as he took that little discussion we had earlier on selfish coexistence to heart and all."

"That's a thing?" Velvet shrugged. "Whatever."

"Goody!" The witch clapped her hands together. "In that case, we should take this opportunity to choose our own individual flowers as well. Now I, as the oldest and most refined beauty amongst our number, would of course require an orchid of exceptional loveliness. As for our happenstance resident exorcist-"

Velvet rolled her eyes again. "That's easy. Petunia."

Eleanor stood up and glared. " _Excuse_ me?"

Magilou waggled her eyebrows. "Ooo, not even a moment's pause for thought when it comes to her. Tart and sweet really _does_ fit you, doesn't it?" 

As Velvet blinked in puzzlement, Laphicet raised a hand. "Um, hang on... What's so important about petunias?"

Eleanor looked down and frowned. "In the language of flowers, they traditionally signify anger and resentment, especially towards someone with whom you've recently had a disagreement." She folded her arms and stared at Velvet. "I suppose I should be flattered to hear that you hold me in low esteem, daemon. It's not like I chose to be here either."

Velvet cocked her head. "Then why not just wait on the ship? Eizen told me earlier that the bond between malak and vessel can cover pretty wide distances; Laphicet could still come with us even if you didn't. Besides, you're a human, so it's not like you're totally over the corsair's scourge anyway. Rokurou even told you you could stay behind the last time we left the ship." 

Eleanor glared again. "You may not be my allies of choice, but you're still my allies. You've all been telling me for the last half-hour about how you won't abandon an ally just because it flies against reason to try and save him. Why should I be any different? Besides, I'm under orders to fight alongside you, and I take my oath seriously. I have no intention of allowing you to walk into a trap alone, no matter how much you may resent my presence."

Velvet closed her eyes. "...You're something else, exorcist. Far be it for me to pass up anything I can use to achieve my goals." She tapped one foot against the ground. "If that's settled, then let's stop talking about flowers and get going. Eizen and Zaveid have way too big a lead already."

"Aren't _you_ the one who wanted to have this conversation in the first place?" Magilou pointed out teasingly.

Velvet gave what was technically a smile, but in practice looked more menacing than most of her sterner expressions. "Magilou... maybe we should check to make sure _you're_ completely over the corsair's scourge. Can I borrow one of those sale'tomah blossoms, Laphicet?"

The witch quickly skipped off, calling back as she went "H-hey, there's no need for that, now is there? Just look at how light on my feet I am!"

Eleanor shook her head as she stood up and grabbed her spear to follow. It wasn't until she'd already taken several steps away from the bench that she realized she hadn't even stopped to think about her mission when she'd given the reasons she wanted to come along. It was a thing she had to keep private, of course, but still-

"Eleanor!"

"Coming!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Although this story isn't explicitly written in- or out-of-continuity with any of my other Velvet/Eleanor fics, this chapter did wind up inadvertently fitting in almost exactly right before Chapter 5 of "Spaghetti Carbonara and Squid Ink Noodles With Seaweed."


	2. Chapter 2

"So, you were reading _A Field Guide to Rare Birds of Central Midgand_ earlier on the ship, right? Does **it** mention the black full-chested dove anywhere?"

Laphicet looked down at the packed dirt of the Danann Highway, obviously so that Eleanor couldn't see his face redden. "Um, I don't really remember..."

Shaking her head, Velvet turned from the conversation to give Magilou another irritated look, but the witch, despite wearing a big smirk, had her eyes closed tightly and seemed oblivious to what was going on around her. Though she obviously wasn't entirely oblivious, given how well her half-skipping walk seemed to avoid any obstacles on the ground.

Velvet forced herself to exhale and fell back slightly until she was walking beside Eizen. "Hey."

"Something on your mind?"

"You mentioned back at the port that the _Van Eltia_ was your original vessel until you found that coin, right? Why didn't you ever bring that up before?" She frowned slightly. "Such as back when we were reunited with the ship after fighting Shigure."

Eizen gave her a curious glance. "Are you thinking about trying to use her in place of Eleanor as Laphicet's vessel?"

Velvet looked away - though she wasn't entirely sure why - and shrugged. "Not really. But I might have at the time, especially once you made it clear that the link between malak and vessel can stretch pretty far."

Eizen folded his arms. "Partly, I was thinking about Laphicet, especially once I could see that he and Eleanor _did_ get along. The link can stretch pretty far, but it's not infinite. If he'd spoken up, that would be a different story, but I don't like the idea of giving him a vessel that would set his future in stone as being spent on the sea. Especially not given how he'd spent his life up until then controlled by the Abbey."

Velvet felt her brow furrow. "And being bonded to an exorcist was supposed to offer him more freedom?" She didn't continue to in case Eleanor was listening in, but she felt certain the pirate heard the rest as well: _an exorcist that we_ know _has secret orders to sell him out to the Abbey?_

Eizen held out his hands. "You've probably noticed by now, but Eleanor's not just any exorcist. Most of them... Sure, they're geuninely selfless people, and they don't have to deal with the inner contradictions of knowing what the Abbey's really doing. But they're still human, and their jobs take them around a lot of other humans who represent the worst of what humanity has to offer. I don't know if they could serve as vessels free of malevolence for free malakhim, as opposed to ones with their wills suppressed. Eleanor, though... Well, like I said, you've been around her as much as I have. She hasn't dealt with everything she's faced, not by a long shot, but she's processed it without it affecting who she truly is, or her inner purity of spirit."

Velvet knew she was still frowning, maybe even more than before. "So she's legitimately righteous instead of just self-righteous. What's your point?"

"Vessels like that - of any kind - are hard to find in a world like ours. I wouldn't want to take that away from Laphicet unless he wanted it. Would you?"

Velvet sighed. "No, I suppose not. And it's true that she's had plenty of chances to betray us that she's passed up on. Lothringen, Yseult..."

"That almost sounds like you're starting to trust her, Vel." Velvet blinked at the voice: yet again, Magilou had apparently fallen into walking on her other side without her senses having picked up on it at all. The witch twirled a lock of hair around her finger as she grinned. "Maybe you should consider taking that petunia back, hmm?"

Velvet felt a muscle twitch. "What?"

"Remember?" If anything, Magilou's grin seemed wider as she continued speaking. "When we were all discussing mascot flowers, lo those many days ago? You don't seem quite as resentful of Miss Exorcist's continuing presence among us as you used to be. Is that icy heart starting to thaw some more, juuuuust a little bit?"

"I wouldn't say that. I just find it convenient that Eleanor's... consistent." She snorted. "Certainly more consistent than _you_ are."

_And I guess consistency is probably the closest thing I'll ever have to trust again._

_Not that I trust Eleanor. Even if-_

_Not that I can trust **anybody**. Don't forget that._

"I'm... pleased to hear that, I think," the exorcist's voice came. Velvet frowned more deeply - she must have been getting too wrapped up inside her own head to have not heard the footsteps - and turned back to give her a look.

"Were you listening in on us?"

Eleanor shook her head. "I only caught the end of your conversation. I wouldn't blame you if you did continue to resent my presence, especially not now..." She looked down. "Not now that you've seen what the Abbey is capable of when it thinks it's justified..."

Velvet waved her bandaged hand dismissively. "I'm the one who was willing to kill Kamoana. I'm not going to take some moral high ground against you." She looked away. "Besides, I've known what Artorius and the Abbey are capable of for three years now."

_And I'll never forget it._

"That's-" Eleanor's voice caught, and she glanced down. 

They walked in silence for a few minutes, during which time Eizen and Magilou both drifted off towards other members of their party. (Though Velvet would have bet quite a lot of gald that Magilou, at least, was still listening in. She'd never gotten a straight answer from the witch about why her ears were pointed or if it actually made them any sharper, but she had a pretty good idea by now about just how good Magilou's hearing was when it came to conversations that Velvet would have preferred that she ignored).

Eventually Eleanor spoke, though hesitantly. "So... are you saying... _do_ you actually trust me now, then?" She colored slightly, although Velvet wasn't sure what had triggered it, and hastily added "Of course, I wouldn't blame you if you didn't-"

Velvet held up a hand to cut it off. "There's only one kind of trust I'm still capable of, and that's trusting people to be themselves. Nobody in this group is going to do anything except for their own reasons, and so far your reasons have worked well enough with ours." She folded her arms. "I fully expect Laphicet to keep up his guard around you, and there's no way **I'm** taking my eyes off of you-"

A faint giggle caught her ears. She turned rapidly, but Magilou seemed to again be half-dancing along with her eyes closed, paying no obvious attention to anything but herself. (Not that that meant anything, especially given the subject of their conversation...)

She looked back at Eleanor. "Anyway, my point is, I'm fine just moving forward as things are. Betray me, and I'll find a new vessel for Laphicet and devour you. Keep doing what you've been doing, and I'm good too. Sound reasonable?"

Eleanor nodded. "Of course. I still have too many questions that need answering, so you can trust me to keep looking for them alongside your group, if for no other reason." Her mouth twitched. "And if you want, I'll hang onto that mascot petunia."

Velvet raised an eyebrow. "Wait, you aren't... _literally_ carrying a flower around, are you?"

Eleanor smiled but didn't answer, falling back towards Laphicet again. Velvet shook her head and resisted the urge to smile herself.

_Mascot flowers. What a ridiculous idea._

Although, part of her did think that maybe the whole petunia thing hadn't been the best choice...

_"So who comes up with all those meanings, anyway?"_

_Celica smiled as she closed the book. "Lots of people, all over the world. They don't always agree, either."_

_Velvet pushed her pillows up higher against the bedrest. "Really? Like, how?"_

_Her sister folded her hands. "Well..." She glanced at the pot of yellow flowers set upon the windowsil. "For example, here in Eastgand daffodils usually symbolize wishes for joy and happiness. But I've heard that near the capital, people associate them with being one of the first flowers to bloom with the coming of spring, so instead they represent beginnings and birth. Sometimes flowers can even mean good things in one place and bad things somewhere else. The petunia can mean both 'I resent you' and 'Your company is soothing.'"_

_Velvet chewed her lip. "Huh. That sounds confusing. Wouldn't people want to agree on something like that?"_

_"Sure, but that doesn't always mean they can." Celica set the book back in its place on the shelf and turned towards the bedroom door, but paused to look back. "But don't worry. Thinking different things is just part of life. After all, it'd be boring if all flowers_ looked _the same, wouldn't it?"_

_Velvet nodded. "Uh-huh. That makes sense."_

Rokurou tapped her on the shoulder, and she came back to the present. "Hey. Something on your mind?"

Velvet glanced after Eleanor. _'Your company is soothing?' Come **on.**_ She shook her head. "Nothing important. Let's not fall behind."

Still, she supposed Eizen was right. There probably _were_ worse exorcists to be stuck traveling with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I did have Rokurou show up to speak at the end because I realized he was the only party member I hadn't given any lines. ^^


End file.
